TY - JOUR TI - An Empirical Model of Work Attendance AU - Allen, Steven G. T2 - The Review of Economics and Statistics AB - T WO recent studies have indicated on any given day about 3% to 4% of all workers do not report to their jobs. The Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) has reported absence data for a sample of several hundred establishments since January 1974. The median absence rate for the entire sample was 3.4% in 1974, 3.0% in 1975 and 1976, 2.8% in 1977, and 2.9% in 1978.1 Absence rates vary widely across establishments; in December 1978 they ranged from 0 to 23.0%. Recent changes in the Current Population Survey permit the computation of work time lost to absenteeism with household data. In May 1976 Hedges (1977) reported full time workers missed about 3.5% of scheduled hours for health and personal reasons. It is interesting to note in comparison in the same month (1) less than one-third of 1% of scheduled hours were lost to strikes, and (2) 3.4% of the labor force were out of work because they had lost their previous job. Economists have paid little attention to absenteeism despite the sizable number of man-hours involved and the probable impacts on productivity and income distribution. Most of the previous research on work attendance has been done by applied psychologists, who generally argue, according to a recent survey article by Steers and Rhodes (1978), that job dissatisfaction represents the primary cause of absenteeism.2 Another widely held view is absenteeism results from inadequate managerial concern for the problem. Countless authors of articles in personnel and business journals have argued any firm can control absenteeism by keeping adequate records, establishing guidelines for permissible absences, or rewarding workers who attend regularly. Given efficient markets for entrepreneurial expertise, it is unclear why such measures have not already been taken. The purpose of this paper is to suggest an alternate interpretation of absenteeism and to develop an empirical model to test various hypotheses about its incidence. Absences result when an individual decides to engage in nonwork activity throughout a scheduled work period. It will be argued below utility increments obtained by not reporting are likely to vary across individuals and the cost of absenteeism will not be identical across employers. Employers can reduce absenteeism in three ways. One option is to make it more costly to employees, e.g., through decisions regarding promotions, merit wage increases, dismissals, and the availability of sick leave and attendance bonuses. Another is to reduce the worker's demand for absences by making schedules more flexible. In cases where substitute workers are available at no extra cost, absenteeism is costly only when it is unexpected. Both the firm and the worker will then be better off if they agree to adjust the worker's schedule in advance. A final DA - 1981/2// PY - 1981/2// DO - 10.2307/1924220 VL - 63 IS - 1 SP - 77 J2 - The Review of Economics and Statistics OP - SN - 0034-6535 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1924220 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - Compensation, Safety, and Absenteeism: Evidence from the Paper Industry AU - Allen, Steven G. T2 - Industrial and Labor Relations Review DA - 1981/1// PY - 1981/1// DO - 10.2307/2522536 VL - 34 IS - 2 SP - 207 J2 - Industrial and Labor Relations Review OP - SN - 0019-7939 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2522536 DB - Crossref ER - TY - JOUR TI - MYTHS, ADMONITIONS AND RATIONALITY: THE AMERICAN INDIAN AS A RESOURCE MANAGER AU - BADEN, JOHN AU - STROUP, RICHARD AU - THURMAN, WALTER T2 - Economic Inquiry AB - As concern over natural resource management has increased, modern societies have been warned that a new, less materialistic ethic will be required for man's survival. The American Indian cultures have been prominent among the ideals mentioned. This paper puts forth and cites evidence to support the economic arguments that incentives matter most. Ethical considerations are important to the extent that they influence institutions, which are crucial in determining incentives. Indian use of private property rights, and the problems caused when that solution was impractical, are featured. DA - 1981/1// PY - 1981/1// DO - 10.1111/j.1465-7295.1981.tb00607.x VL - 19 IS - 1 SP - 132-143 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Cost of producing Easter lilies in North Carolina AU - Brumfield, R. G. AU - Nelson, P. V. AU - Coutu, A. J. AU - Willits, D. H. AU - Sowell, R. S. T2 - Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science DA - 1981/// PY - 1981/// VL - 106 IS - 5 SP - 561 ER - TY - JOUR TI - AN OPPORTUNITY COST VIEW OF FIXED ASSET THEORY AND THE OVERPRODUCTION TRAP AU - JOHNSON, MA AU - PASOUR, EC T2 - AMERICAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AB - Abstract In fixed asset and exit barrier theories, durable asset valuation is based upon acquisition prices, yielding downwardly biased rate‐of‐return estimates and erroneous implications that excess resources become trapped in production when product price expectations fall. Conventional asset valuation based on opportunity cost shows that excess resource applications are incompatible with rational producer behavior. Market failure conclusions of overproduction trap models are shown to be unfounded. A review of recently published agricultural economics texts illustrates how use of fixed asset theory in the college classroom obscures the concept of choice‐influencing cost and the rule of resource allocative efficiency. DA - 1981/// PY - 1981/// DO - 10.2307/1239806 VL - 63 IS - 1 SP - 1-7 SN - 0002-9092 ER - TY - JOUR TI - ON VARIANCES OF CONDITIONAL LINEAR LEAST-SQUARES SEARCH PARAMETER ESTIMATES AU - ESTES, EA AU - BLAKESLEE, LL AU - MITTELHAMMER, RC T2 - AMERICAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AB - American Journal of Agricultural EconomicsVolume 63, Issue 1 p. 141-145 Note On Variances of Conditional Linear Least-Squares Search Parameter Estimates Edmund A. Estes, Edmund A. Estes assistant professor Department of Economicsand Business, North Carolina State UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorLeroy L. Blakeslee, Leroy L. Blakeslee professor Department of Agricultural Economics, Washington State UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorRon C. Mittelhammer, Ron C. Mittelhammer assistant professor Department of Agricultural Economics, Washington State UniversitySearch for more papers by this author Edmund A. Estes, Edmund A. Estes assistant professor Department of Economicsand Business, North Carolina State UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorLeroy L. Blakeslee, Leroy L. Blakeslee professor Department of Agricultural Economics, Washington State UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorRon C. Mittelhammer, Ron C. Mittelhammer assistant professor Department of Agricultural Economics, Washington State UniversitySearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 February 1981 https://doi.org/10.2307/1239820Citations: 3AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume63, Issue1February 1981Pages 141-145 RelatedInformation DA - 1981/// PY - 1981/// DO - 10.2307/1239820 VL - 63 IS - 1 SP - 141-145 SN - 0002-9092 ER - TY - JOUR TI - MARKET INTERVENTION POLICIES FOR INCREASING THE CONSUMPTION OF NUTRIENTS BY LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS AU - PERRIN, RK AU - SCOBIE, GM T2 - AMERICAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AB - Abstract This study employs a market equilibrium displacement approach to examine the nutrient consumption effects of market intervention programs such as food subsidies, income transfers, and agricultural input subsidies. The results permit comparison of the direct treasury costs of achieving marginal increases in nutrient intake with alternative programs. When applied to a case study of the food markets and population of Cali, Colombia, it was found that a marginal increase in caloric intake among the poor could be achieved at lowest cost with a consumer subsidy of certain cereals, although black market activity might raise this cost to that of an income subsidy. DA - 1981/// PY - 1981/// DO - 10.2307/1239813 VL - 63 IS - 1 SP - 73-82 SN - 1467-8276 ER - TY - JOUR TI - LIKELIHOOD RATIO STATISTICS FOR AUTOREGRESSIVE TIME-SERIES WITH A UNIT-ROOT AU - DICKEY, DA AU - FULLER, WA T2 - ECONOMETRICA DA - 1981/// PY - 1981/// DO - 10.2307/1912517 VL - 49 IS - 4 SP - 1057-1072 SN - 1468-0262 ER -